Iridesa
by z dream
Summary: A Graceling,saved by Katsa, offers to find all that remains of her immediate family- her half sister. But something is strange about her. Will they want anything to do w/each other after the past secrets unfold? OC/Raffin Po/Katsa
1. Chapter 1 The Lord and the Lady

**In this fanfiction, Katsa's father was alive longer than mentioned, but the mother and Raffin's mother had both died of a fever at the time referred to in the book. Just an FYI. : )**

The nursery was empty, except for the babies, of course, and a small six year old girl who had fallen asleep in one of the reading chairs.

"Darling," her mother whispered softly, "Please, wake up. You can't fall asleep here." The little girl finally uncurled and dragged herself sleepily out of the room after much prodding from her mother. As the little girl was leaving, a man walked to the doorway. The woman stiffened at the sight of his bright blue eyes-eyes as blue as the sky.

"Pardon me, _Lord Elliot_," she said with disdain.

"Don't scorn me," Elliot snapped.

"Then don't send us out of the palace," she countered angrily.

"Vidia, you know why I must. Each day as Katsa grows older her appearance more and more resembles that of your daughter." Vidia clenched her teeth, and took a deep breath which did little to calm her.

Eyes boring into Elliot's, she said in a dangerously hushed voice, "_My_ daughter? _Our _daughter, you mean. I don't obligate you to acknowledge that in public, but do not make our daughter go through more pain than she already has by refusing to acknowledge it to yourself." Elliot was unfazed.

"Either way, she cannot stay." Vidia shook her head.

"How could you?"

"Do not make me the enemy. You can stay for one year more. I will provide you with shelter and money and such when you do leave. I am not throwing you and her out into the streets. This is for her protection!"

"How you've fooled yourself into believing that I'll never know." The two stood there for a moment in silence thick enough to swim through. "Lady Riona, your wife, is also my best friend. I would never want to hurt her. I had never meant to."

"Nor had I," said Lord Elliot. And with that, he left the room leaving Lady Vidia alone with her thoughts and the sleeping babies.


	2. Chapter 2 The Woman in the Woods

**This picks up, right where Graceling left off.**

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><p>Katsa and Po left the cavern just as the sun was setting below the horizon. They were riding in a content silence whenPosuddenly pulled his reins back to stop. Katsa pulled on her reins as well.<p>

"What is it?" Katsa asked, her body tensing. Po wasn't one to stop for no reason, and, besides, he was stiff and seemed to be concentrated on something to his right.

"There is a woman just beyond those trees. She is sick and injured-perhaps dying,"Po answered as he dismounted his horse and weaving his way through the trees. Katsa dismounted as well and followed close behind. She hoped the woman wasn't in too fragile of a condition-if she had any broken bones riding to the palace would be very painful. On a boulder sized rock in the dense of the forest laid an unconscious young woman-probably only in her twenties. Clothes in tatters, skin clammy as if from sickness, and wounded badly on her right arm; it was with relief that they found her still breathing.

Not even needing to speak, Katsa and Po knew what to do. Katsa went back to the horse and brought back a flask of water which they used to clean her wound as well as give her a bit to drink. Then, they used a bit of fabric that Katsa tore from her tunic to dress the cut. The cut appeared to be a few days old, so Katsa didn't worry about it reopening. What did worry Katsa, however, was that the injury seemed to have been caused by an arrow or a knife. Po picked the woman up and Katsa retrieved what she assumed to be the woman's bag from next to the rock. After they made sure she had no broken bones, they quickly raced her back to what was now Bitterblue City. The whole ride, she didn't stir.

"Katsa! Po!" Raffin waved as they rode through the gates. But his smile quickly faltered when he saw the woman. "Katsa, go fetch Bann. Po, I'll help you carry her to the infirmary in the East Wing." Everything was carried out swiftly. Katsa ran inside and, after inquiring some of the servants, found Bann holding a discussion in the library with some scholarly gentlemen.

"Raffin requires your assistance, Bann. There is an injured woman in the infirmary that needs immediate aid," was all Katsa needed to say. Bann without hesitation said his apologies to the young gentlemen and left the room for the infirmary with Katsa.

Upon coming into the infirmary, one would find that it's not a small room. It was large with a dome ceiling, but the ceiling wasn't too high for then, in the winter, the patients would freeze. Very few beds were empty, for many who had suffered abuse at the hands of Leck hadn't fully recovered. Nurses were all on their feet tending to the sick and injured. Nonetheless, this crowding did not make finding Raffin and Po a challenge, thankfully. They were hovering over a bed to the right, not far from the door, with a few nurses coming and bring the supplies needed to tend to the young lady.

"Don't worry. I assure you that I will send someone to keep you informed," Raffin said to Katsa, and, then, with a smile, added, "You shouldn't forget that we are having a formal dinner tonight and you must get prepared soon if you are to 'make yourself pretty."Polaughed and Katsa scowled at both of them.

"Alright, I can tell when I'm not wanted," she said before turning and leaving the room.


	3. Chapter 3 The Finding Grace

Dinner was formal, but festive. The long table, covered with plates of food, took up the whole length of the dining room. Bitterblue, who was seated at the head of the table, sat between King Ror and Skye who had Po seated to his left and Raffin right across from him.

"You're looking lovely tonight," Posaid turning to face Katsa. Taking her seat beside him, Katsa just snorted and rolled her eyes.

_He would be one to know, _she thought before turning to Raffin.

"How is your new patient?"

"Luckily, she had no broken bones but she was suffering from a fever as well as a serious wound. She has woken up though, which is a good sign," Raffin smiled, "Her waking up leaves a question or two though."

Brows furrowed, Katsa asked, "How so?"

"She's a Graceling!"

"A Graceling?" Po inquired, eyebrows shooting up. "What do you suppose her Grace is then?" Raffin shrugged.

"She hasn't spoken much, besides asking that we refrain from questioning her about why she was in the forest and how she obtained her injuries. Basically whatever we initially desired to know about her." He laughed.

"Has she given her name?" Katsa asked.

"Angeline. Her name is Angeline. She was willing to give that much at least."

Even more curious, Katsa asked another pressing question, "Has she said anything else?" Raffin titled his head to the side, thoughtfully.

"She asked to see you and Po, to thank you she said." Katsa nodded. After that, she said no more. The rest of the dinner passed by in a content, but anticipation filled, blur.

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><p>After dinner, Katsa and Po entered the infirmary. Most of the patients were asleep and only a nurse or two were on their feet. Angeline was sitting up in her bed, hands on her lap, and mismatched eyes focused on the two Gracelings who had entered. Up close, Katsa was able to tell the color of those eyes, one purple and one gray. Before Katsa or Po could say anything, Angeline spoke.<p>

"I wish to thank you. I owe you two my life." Her voice was calm and low and soft, but that was not what struck Katsa. What struck her was the gratefulness in that calm, low, soft voice.

"There is no need to thank us," Katsa said.

"Oh, but there is," Angeline insisted, "if not for you, I would not be alive."

"And why is that?"Poasked. "Who injured you?" At this, Angeline stiffened.

"I am sorry, but that is something I cannot reveal to you…" Angeline said.

"Then may we ask you something else?" Katsa asked. At first, Angeline hesitated, but then nodded slowly.

"What is your Grace?" This seemed to take the girl by surprise, and so she hesitated with an answer.

"I-I find lost things," she whispered. Po tilted his head.

"Lost things?" Angeline nodded.

"When I was younger, I was forever digging up lost objects; then, as I grew older, I was able to find objects people asked me to find. Now, I'm even able to tell what a person lost…not specifically objects anymore…I can even tell _who _a person lost." She was silent for a moment, and Katsa waited patiently, sensing that the woman wished to say more. "I'm sorry for your losses," she said to Katsa, eyes cast downwards at her folded hands. Now was Katsa's turn to be surprised. No one, as far as she knew, had ever given her condolences for the loss of her parents. Because she never knew them, she never thought much of it. None the less, she felt strangely touched by the notion.

"It's alright, I was very young when I lost my parents," Katsa said awkwardly. Angeline lifted her gaze, a mild blush creeping up in her cheeks.

"Oh, well, even so, I, um, and I hope you find your sister," she put in awkwardly. Now Katsa's mildly pleasant surprise turned into utter confusion.

"What sister?"

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><p><strong>please review to tell me whether you want a summarized version of the conversation that follows or the whole break down, dialouge and all.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4 The Presence

"Uh—your sister, I mean, I know she's not dead, but she is missing…" Angeline spoke cautiously, and then faltered, seeing the blank and startled expression crossing Katsa's face.

Po cleared his throat and asked, "How can you tell the difference between dead and missing?" Angeline looked from Po to Katsa and then spoke as if remembering something.

"When someone is dead, I have a sense of their absence but not of their presence. When someone is missing, I have a sense of both presence and absence. I know it seems quite vague in that context but…um…have I affronted you?" Katsa shook her head, trying to clear the whirlwind in it. She was hearing words, but none of them made sense in here mind.

"A sister? You must be mistaken. I don't have a sister. I was an only child. My mother died of a fever when I was an infant and my father died in a battle when I was three. I don't—your Grace must be mistaken." Angeline straightened.

"My Grace is _never _mistaken." She then pursed her lips and cocked her head thoughtfully to the side for a moment. "I suppose I could find her." At this conformation, Katsa suddenly felt a dizziness sweep over her. Po must have sensed this, for a she heard was the scraping of a chair before she feel down into one that wasn't behind her a moment ago.

"Who is she? What is her name?" Katsa blurted out. Angeline held up her hands.

"I know nothing about her, only that I may be able to find her."

"Could you really?" Angeline nodded. "_Would_ you really?" Again, Angeline nodded. "Well, you can't go riding in this condition, so you'll just have to tell me where she is." Angeline closed her eyes. For two agonizing minutes, Katsa held her breath and was acutely aware of everything in her surroundings:Po's awkward shifting, the sleeping patients, and even the sound of the rustling leaves outside that were being blown by the wind. Shaking her head, Angeline opened her eyes.

"It's strange, but she's not _in _the Seven Kingdoms but almost parallel to them. She seems to be within and without the one intersection of these two…these two…I don't know what to call them. But, I'm sorry, there's no way for me to give you directions. I _must _go with you."

Katsa's heart was still in a beating frenzy when she replied, "Then we shall go as you as you are ready. We shall start planning the trip tomorrow." She got up and headed for the door, turning around once more only to say, "Good night."


	5. Chapter 5 Never, Until Now

When Katsa was thirteen years old, she once met another Graceling that lived in the Palace. Her name was Hema, and she the most arrogant fifteen year old one could have the misfortune to meet. Though Katsa supposed she knew why. Her skill was of no particular use to the King—harp players rarely ever were—but she was the daughter of one of Randa's wealthy advisers. Everyone in the court knew she was rotten to the core, but you would never guess that just by looking at her—tall, regal, and graceful with silky brown hair that seemed to compliment her eyes, one pink as a sunset and the other as blue as the lakes in Nander. Her beauty only fueled her pride. The very same pride the made Katsa want to choke her to death.

"Oh, _Lady _Katsa!" she called out as Katsa passed her by in the halls. Taken a bit by surprise, Katsa slowly turned around to make sure that someone had truly addressed her—the Killer Graceling. The girl scrutinized her for a moment, and then spoke again. "You aren't going to kill me are you." It was a statement, not a question. But, even so, Katsa felt complied to shake her head. "Do you know my name?" Again, Katsa shook her head. "Hema, my name is Hema. It means 'beautiful one'. What does your name mean?" Intimidatingly, she stepped closer to Katsa who shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. She didn't like standing here and talked to this high-minded, big-headed girl, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. "Hasn't your mother told you the meaning of your name? My mother always reminds me of mine. 'You were without a doubt properly named' is what she always says. That's because I'm her favorite. She adores me more than all of my sisters. But my sisters adore me too, so I suppose they don't mind." Envy stabbed at Katsa's heart, as ridiculous as it seemed. But not because she felt Hema was more beautiful. Surely, Hema was over exaggerating, trying to provoke Katsa. How could anyone adore that obnoxious girl? But whether they adored her or not, she still had a mother and sisters, and even a father. Katsa didn't, and she never would.

Anger took hold of young Katsa and she yelled, "Close your mouth and move along or I'll break your jaw!"

Hema never crossed Katsa's path again.

Even so, Katsa never forgot her encounter with Hema, or her voice which constantly reminded her of what would never be.

"Never, until now," Katsa whispered to herself as she lay awake in her bed that night.


	6. Chapter 6 The Little Hero

Prince Raffin was extremely curious, even as a boy of six. He would explore all the rooms in the palace, observe all the plants and animals in the garden, and read every book he could get his hands on (or have the muscle to pick up, rather). This was how he met his first friend. Raffin was walking down the hall with his nose buried in a book, his first apothecary volume, so he didn't notice the girl who was hurrying down the corner with linens and bedsheets and such piled so high in her arms that you couldn't see over the top of her head until he collided into her.

"My apologies," she sighed, on her knees picking up and refolding the sheets that were now scattered all over the floor.

"It's alright,"Raffin said, rubbing his head. She looked around his age, about his height, and skinny, but with dark brown hair as opposed to his dirty blonde. And she had blue eyes-eyes as blue as the sky. Getting on his knees he also began to fold, but although his intentions were good, his folds were sloppy.

"That's not how you fold sheets!" she laughed. Raffin's ears burned red, but he was too embarrassed to speak. The girl saw this and stopped laughing. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why did you try to help me? You're, well, royal." Raffin shrugged.

"Why not? It was also my fault that you dropped them in the first place. I was too distracted, I suppose." The girl tilted her head.

"With what?" Raffin picked up his book from along the wall, where it had fallen.

"With this," he said holding the book out to the girl. She took the book from his hands, turning it over in her hands.

"A-apot-he-cary? What is 'a pot he carry'?" Now, it was Raffin who laughed.

"Not 'a pot he carry', _apothecary_. It's a book about herbs and medicine."

"Why are you-?" The girl was interrupted when a gruff middle aged woman came rushing into the hall.

"Iridesa! What are all these linens doing on the floor! Do you have any idea of how hard they are to wash? Wait until your mother-," the woman froze when she caught sight of the young prince. "Prince Raffin, I do so apologize for the annoyance of this bumbling serving girl." Her gaze changed from imploring to stone hard when they turned back to the girl, Iridesa. "I will make sure that it won't happen again." Raffin looked next to him in time to see Iridesa's eyes cast downward, ears burning red. He didn't know completely what the woman was speaking of when she said that she would 'make sure that it won't happen again' but he did know that Iridesa was no annoyance.

"There will be no need for that," he said standing upright again. "She was no _annoyance _at all. In fact, we were having an interesting discussing on apothecary. I enjoyed our conversation so much so that I would appreciate it if she would meet me in the library tomorrow." A bewildered expression came over the woman's face...and Iridesa's.

"But-"

"No buts. I expect to see her in the library tomorrow morning. If she's not there, I would consider it an annoyance courtesy of you." He turned around and, with his back to the woman, the prince winked at Iridesa just before he strode off.


	7. Chapter 7 Most Pressing Matters

The next day Raffin waited in the library, replaying the incident over and over in his mind, shocking himself again and again. Had he truly had the—the—audacity, the boldness to say what he did? Apparently so, for only a short while later, Iridesa walked in to the library and approached him rather hesitantly, but one could tell she was holding her head high and trying to appear confident. She cleared her throat.

"I suppose I should thank you for what you did yesterday." She wasn't looking at him, but at her shoes instead. Raffin may not have known it at the time, but she was quite embarrassed to be standing in front of the prince in his fine garments while she was adorned in worn and faded cloth, so patched up that it was more rag than dress.

"Well, it was no trouble. That is…um…I mean to say…it was as much my fault as yours and if I wasn't going to be punished why should you?" Hearing him speak in a nervous rush put her at ease a bit. To know that someone can understand what you feel, even for a moment, can be reason enough to open up the doors of a friendship. And so it did.

After that day, they became best friends. They would spend an immeasurable about of time together, whenever she could steal away from her work and him from his tutoring secessions. They played adventure games and read stories and gathered 'treasures'. She would show him whatever new secrets of the palace she had uncovered and he would help her with her reading. Sometimes they fought as often as the breeze blew in the mountain, and sometimes as rarely as slow market day.

Now a prince and a pauper being so _friendly_ and _acquainted_ with one anoher was already a bit strange, add the fact that this entailed a gentleman and a lady and it became quite scandalous. In one particular instance some older children of the courtiers, snotty sevens and eights, would tease them for practically being almost married to one another.

"Married? I'm not every going to get _married_." Raffin's nose scrunched up in disdain at the thought.

"Well, you'll be a king, yes?" Iridesa asked. Raffin nodded. "Kings can do and make whatever laws they want. So maybe you could make a law that made me your queen, _without_ having to marry me. You wouldn't have to get married, and I wouldn't have to clean the palace anymore." Raffin considered this for a moment.

"That's not a bad idea. When I'm older, you'll be my queen." He smiled, feeling satisfied that they had come up with a solution to such a particularly pressing dilemma.

"Although, you'll probably have to go to the countryside of the kingdom to come and get me," Iridesa said, eyes becoming shinier.

"Why?"

"My father said that my mother and I will have to leave the palace soon…" She shifted her gaze to the ground, not wanting to have her friend see her eyes fill with tears.

"What? Why?" How could this be happening? The palace was her home as much as his. Iridesa shrugged uncomfortably, refusing to say if she knew.

"When are you leaving?"

"Father says in a few months..." She burst into tears before she could say more.

"No! I'm a prince, for sky's sake! I could order your father to let you stay! Tell me who he is and I promise it's as good as done!" He took hold of her shoulders and shook her gently. She only shook her head in despair.

"That is the problem though. I can't tell you who he is. No one can find out-that is why I must leave in the first place." Raffin grew solemn at this. Well, if nothing could be done of the situation...

"Than we shall make every single moment count from now on! Whatever you wish to do, we'll do it." At this, Iridesa's face shone, as a smile spread across her face.

"Really!" Raffin nodded. "Then I say we visit Kitty!"

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><p><strong>omg, soooooo sooooo sorry i haven't updated. But i think for this chapter it was worth it. It was hard to write, but fun. It was just soo ADORABLE! I'll get back to the present day Katsa's search in the chapter after next, but for now you guys really need to understand this, the previous, and the next chapters to fully get the story. Enjoy!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8 We Shall Always be Friends

Kitty was what Iridesa called her favorite infant in the nursery-a tiny thing, with a tuff of brown hair and blue eyes that match her own. Other people would dismiss this as coincidence or merely not notice it at all, but Iridesa knew a secret, that the baby's resemblance to her was not a coincidence. When no one was around, she would whisper this secret to Kitty and felt that sharing this secret bonded them.

"Back again, I see?" one of the nurses chuckled when she saw Iridesa approaching. "A bit later than usual—why it's been a whole day since you last saw Katsa, oh, I mean _Kitty_." The smile on her face grew warmer toward her favorite child in the palace, since she had none of her own.

"Hello, Fauna! I also brought someone else with me to play with Kitty," she said, stepping a bit to the side, revealing a slightly sheepish looking Raffin.

"Well I'm sure Kitty will be thrilled to see her cousin." The nurse led the way through a small ante chamber and down to a room that branched off to the right from it. Toys were scattered about the carpeted floor, as were the toddlers who were all crawling or stepping about, being watched over by a few nurses who dotted the room. In the corner, a small toddler with blue eyes and brown hair was determined to make a wooden square cube fit in a triangular hole. "Lady Katsa, look who's here to see you!" The baby looked up and shrieked in delight when she caught Iridesa's face. Iridesa rushed forward and bent down to kiss Katsa's forehead. The nurse left the room, briefly glancing back one more time, deriving a sense of joy and warmth from seeing the two children gently try to persuade the toddler to place the square cube in its respective square hole.

"So the first thing that you wanted to do was to see her?" Raffin asked, a bit incredulously. He offered her a chance to do anything, and she chose to see a toddler. Iridesa nodded.

"I've been seeing Kitty almost every single day since she was born, and…I'm really going to miss her when I leave." The baby chose that moment to yawn very audibly, albeit adorably. But when her eyes opened again, there was something different about them… "Look!" Iridesa shouted. Raffin turned his attention towards the baby, and his jaw dropped from what he saw. One eye was blue as it had always been, but the other was now a startling green. Katsa was a Graceling

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><p>After that, things were different. The caretakers in the new nursery Katsa was put into wouldn't let Iridesa visit as often. In one instance, Iridesa bit one of the nurse's legs so she could sprint in while the nurse cursed after her. Before, Iridesa's mother, Vidia, never voiced any objection of her daughter's visits—if she had any, but now, even her own mother was advising against it.<p>

The worst of it came a month later, on Katsa's third birthday.

Vidia did not attend the funeral, for she could give no explanation that would not arouse suspicion. Iridesa was obligated to go, because Katsa had to. And Katsa refused to go without Iridesa. The toddler didn't know that the funeral she was taken to was that of her own father's. Few people would think that she would care all that much. For although Lord Eliot loved his daughter, he was forever away on trips or journeys or simply preferred to stay in his northern estate-the palace held his grief over his wife's death and his guilt over his unfaithfulness. He had planned to take Katsa to live there with him, but the day her eyes changed it was clear that would not happen. The reason Katsa went was not because of her father, but because of her concern for the servant girl she had bonded with.

Iridesa lost a father. That day all the fantasies and hopes that he would one day be proud of her—proud enough to acknowledge his tie to her—vanished. She had lost her chance to win his approval. Lost her chance to get to know him. She tried her absolute hardest to hide her tears—her said tears, her bitter tears—for people in the palace would talk and ask questions if they saw them. But when she went to the nursery and Katsa looked up curiously at her, sensing something was wrong, she burst into tears. She realized Katsa, too, had lost her chance. The nurses came bustling in, for because Iridesa cried, Katsa cried too, and tried to separate them, but that only caused the two girls to cry harder.

"Control that daughter of yours!" they complained to Vidia, whose only response was packing up the belongings of her and her daughter.

"So, it's settled," Iridesa sniffled. "We're leaving tomorrow!" Raffin tried his best to hold back the lump that was forming in his throat. Iridesa looked toward her best friend, feeling a wave of loss and sadness, and then an idea formed in her mind. "Raffin, can we do one last thing together?"

In the early days of their friendship, they had discovered two loose floorboards in an abandoned and forgotten turret of the palace. This was where they place all the symbols of their friendship—an apothecary book, some of Katsa's toys, a towel, pens, quills, maps they drew up, and a list of all the promises they made to each other. The very first one listed was: **We shall always be friends**.

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><p><strong>This was actually kinda depressing for me to write, and I usually dont write depressing things, but i think it ended on a very hopeful note. anyways, i hope you guys love reading it as much as i loved writing it<strong>


	9. Chapter 9 Race

**As promised...**

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><p>It was an agonizingly slow week for Katsa. Probably the slowest one she had ever had the misfortune of experiencing. How she wished to brush off details as one brushes off pesky flies! However, it seemed that details, just as flies, can come in swarms so terribly large that they come in sort of attack. Who was going to go? Since Po insisted, Skye insisted; since Raffin insisted, Oll insisted. Bitterblue resented greatly her inconvience in the situation, for she so very dearly wished to go. "But, as the new Queen," she said solemnly, "I do not have the luxury."<p>

Ror argued with Po and Skye on the matter: how worried the family has been, and how they desired to see Po as soon as possible. At one point Katsa threw up her hands and shouted, "By the hills, anyone who wishes and has the ability to come, come! As long as you believe you can keep pace, you are welcome!" In her mind, whether an army came along, or whether she went by herself, it made no difference: in the end, it will all come down to her and her sister. The hunting party, or the retrival party, rather, was settled: Katsa, Po, Angeline, Raffin, and Skye.

The details of how long it would be before Angeline would be able to go were most pestering of all. Her refusal to discuss anything that happened in the woods went so far as to encompass the details of her injury.

"Arrow." That was all the detail she gave. No more, no less. After that it was simply a matter of how much, when, and what in terms of food, travel, and packing items, respectively.

Despite all this, they were currently on a merchant ship, heading to Sunport from Monport. Traveling by ship saved time, to say the least, but for Katsa the speed still seemed sluggish.

"Katsa, you'll create a groove in the planks if you keep pacing there," Po laughed. She snorted and slowed down her pacing, but continuing to walk back and forth across the deck. "Katsa, please, we shall arrive when we do. There is no need to be so restless." Katsa then slowed to a stop, and appraoched Po, sittting next to him on the crate. _I'm a bit frightened, Po. _At his raised eyebrow she answered, avoiding his gaze, _I am still the Killer Graceling to many throughout the kingdom. What is my sister fears me? What if she despises me? _Just the thought of it sent a stab of regret and shame at her heart; inwardly she bretted herself for not taking more care to create a better reputation for herself. Then again, whom could've ever anticipated such an occurance. Po took her hands, and gently kissed her knuckeles. She turned toward him.

"All that was ever said about you was wrong, Anyone who has ever met you learns that quickly." In a moment of slight ease, Katsa exhaled and gave Po a deeply grateful kiss.

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><p><strong>Back in time...<strong>

She was in a hut, in the forest, all the way in the southwest corner of the Middluns. But whether she was in a palace or on the street, the facts were no different. Her mother's hand still lay still. Her mother's hand still lay cold. Her mother's hand still lay clasped between her own. There were so many things in the world that she didn't understand. Why people fought, why lovers had quarrels, why friends had to be torn apart. This only added a few new additions to her list: why her parents had to be taken away from her the way they were, why she was being forced to live alone, and how were her eyes, burning and red, still able to produce tears.

Should she go to the king? Surely he would have some sympathy towards a former servant. But what if her little sister was there? How long has it been since they'd seen each other last? Did they look alike more now then they did then? What if someone saw the resemblence and realized what her father had tried so hard to hide? Would she be punished for it? No, no time to think about that. She had to run, to find someone.

She ran out into the forest, going any direction, relying on her intuition to guide her, since there were no trails to do so. Breaking through to a clearing, she saw a cave, and saw the back of someone wondering into it.

"Wait, excuse me, please-" Iridesa didn't get to finish her plea, for the blonde haired figure sped towards the mouth of the cave. Iridesa followed suit.


	10. Chapter 10 A New Start

She wandered the street with a dirty, tear-stained face, constantly clinging to the wall. Her clothes were tattered, a long medieval type dress.

A kid.

A homeless kid.

Everyone who saw her didn't _see _her. It isn't something you'd want to get tangled up in. This kid could've been a pick pocket, one who could spot a vulnerable wallet a mile away. At least that was what most people thought, or wanted to believe. And even if they didn't, they still just thought it better not to get involved.

Melody Proud was not most people, though. Recently, and rather painfully, divorced, she knew what the kid must've felt, in a manner of speaking. Invisible. Alone. Like sometimes the world gave you a good kick just to remind you it could. Maybe that's what compelled her to approach the strange girl with bright blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" Even though her tone was soft, the girl backed up against the wall, looking like a mouse caught in a trap, body shivering violently. Melody softened her tone even more. "Don't be scared." From her purse, Melody pulled out a half-eaten 5th Avenue bar and offered it to the girl. The girl stared at it for a few moments before cautiously taking hold of it. But once she had it, she scarfed it down so fast that Melody didn't even get a chance to tell her to slow down. "Do you have parents?" The girl shook her head. "Do you have a place to stay?" As expected, the girl shoot her head again, only this time tears ran down her cheeks, making their tracks even more pronounced on her grimy face. It was strange that a soundless response would render Melody speechless herself. When she found her voice again, the softness was now mingled with a sort of determination. "Don't worry, I'll help you find a place to stay."

Half a year. The girl was in Ms. Turner's Home for Minors half a year. And Melody became a regular visitor for that half year. Being a waitress was hardly lucrative, especially for someone who was used to living in a two-paycheck home. On her one day off, she would spend it at the orphanage, trying to get acquainted with the strange little girl, which was no quick feat. It took a week alone to get a name.

"Stella," she said matter-of-factly, while brushing a beaten up Barbie's golden hair with a miniscule brush.

"Oh, so your name is Stella!" Melody's excitement turned to curiosity when "Stella" shook her head.

"You asked what you should call me. I want to be called Stella."  
>"Why Stella?" The girl shrugged.<p>

"I like it."

Ms. Turner, of course, did not see that as a fit explanation. You couldn't find a file without a name. But the girl did give a name, just not the name she was given. Melody didn't push. Yet curiosity continued to gnaw at her.

The girl she found seemed fascinated with the most ordinary things: refrigerators, facets, she didn't even know how to work a microwave. Heck, how she spoke was weirdest of all. It was like the dress she wore when Melody first saw her: old fashioned. Not the Roarin' Twenties type old—like Medieval-Renaissance type. Though, for all that impressive vocabulary, she sure lacked technical skill.

"What's this?" she asked. Destiny turned around, one eyebrow raised.

"You for real?" At Stella's blank stare, her eyes grew wide with incredulity. "It's a radio. You know, turn to the FM station you get LL Cool J?"

"Who?" That was when Destiny felt her heart practically stop.

"Girl, who you think LL Cool J is? The cangro, the rap, the lyrics—_does none of this ring a bell?_" Little did Stella know, but shaking her head was as good as decreeing her sentence. The little black eleven year old who gawked at her in that moment took it upon herself to teach the girl everything she knew about anything. Lesson 1: Music is the soul's best friend.

Some kids were less forthcoming to Stella, and stayed away entirely. But few could avoid her questions. Perhaps it was her fascination or her constant attention to them, but more often than not they answered her question, about their lives, about the orphanage, about the world. Sometime it earned her a friend, and sometimes it got her a bloody nose, but she would be persistent. Jeremih, a braggart delinquent, would eagerly feed her tall tales about fights he'd gotten into with other fourteen year olds. Melody wasn't sure whether or not Stella truly believed all the stories, but she supposed it didn't matter. If there was anything anyone learned quickly about Stella, it's that she loved a good story.

* * *

><p><strong>thank you all so much for your patience and awesome responses (really, i love you guys), and i hope the time jumps aren't too confusing! although, this is like my Graceling equivalent of the flashbacks, so...<strong>


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